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Aug
31
Vegas Reunion
Filed Under Daddy Fun | 2 Comments
I’m back! I survived my flights, although I barely (and I mean BARELY) made my flight home. I had a really nice time in Vegas. Spent a few nights with my cousin before my teammates arrived. He showed me the Strip and we ate at some fantastic (and VERY expensive) restaurants. Friday, the guys started arriving one-by-one and since I was the only one with a hotel room at that point, that’s where we all met. The 2nd guy into town came with a cooler of beer in tow and we sat in the hotel room drinking for about 10 hours as the other guys slowly trickled in (and we still managed to go out that night). Saturday, we spent 6 hours by the hotel pool, then the next 9 at a bar in Ceasar’s Palace drinking and having a lot of laughs. We were a bunch of guys with no plans and nowhere to be – and that’s exactly how everyone wanted it.
The most amazing thing about the weekend to me was how – despite the 15 years that had passed since we last saw each other – once we were back together, it was as though no time had passed. It was almost as though we just on the hill at S.U. the week before. That’s what happens, I guess, when you get back together with your best friends. Not to get too sappy here, but I can honstely say that not before and not since I knew these guys, have I had friends like these. Friends are actually tough to come by these days. Sure, I have “friends” at work, but nobody I see outside of work. It’s one of the things I feel is missing from my life at this stage. I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do about it, short of see these guys more than once every 15 years. Talks are already underway to set up another reunion for next year.
Aug
21
The Best Picture…, Ever
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Before I leave, I wanted to share the best pictures of my ladies – ever. I love them all!
Aug
21
Well, tomorrow I’m off on my first trip in about 7 years. I haven’t been on a plane since my wife and I went to Hawaii, which was a year before 9-11. Didn’t like flying then; certainly don’t like it any better now. When you work at a place that constantly reports on bad news – like plane crashes – your mind starts to get the better of you. I’ve been stressed out for weeks.
I’m hooking up with some old college teammates in Las Vegas. One of the guys decided it was time for a reunion, so seven of us are meeting for a few days of reminiscing and some good times. I’m going out a few days ahead of them to spend time with my cousing and his family – he’s been begging me to visit for years. I’m nervous now, but I’m also very excited. I can honestly say these are some of the best friends I’ve ever had…, and probably ever will have.
Flying scares me for a lot of reasons, but the biggest right now is the fear that something will happen to me and my daughters will have to grow up without a dad. Blowing up and falling from 30,000 feet is bad enough, but to think that my girls won’t have me around anymore is worse. My friends have all been trying to calm me down, reminding me how it’s really the safesty way to travel. I have a better chance of dying in a car accident on my way home from work than I do in a plane crash (apparently, I even have a better chance of dying in my bathtub or accidentally suffocating while I sleep).
I wasn’t always this way; I used to get on planes without thinking twice about it. I’ve taken off and landed in blizzards. I even remember the plane “falling” one time – everyone on board flew out of their seats for a moment. We were supposed to continue on the same plane when we made our firs stop, but they made everybody get off and we got on a new plane for the rest of the trip (don’t tell me something wasn’t wrong there). My wife is afraid to fly. When we went on our honeymoon, the plan was that I was going to make her a flyer, and after the trip to Puerto Rico – which was as smooth as can be – she thought, “Hey, maybe this isn’t so bad.” Well the flight home was terrible and by the end of the flight, I vowed never to fly again. I actually didn’t want to go on this trip, but my wife said I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t. Oh yea…, AND she threatened to leave me home alone with the kids for the weekend if I didn’t go. 
So, I have a new book – I’ve filled the iPod with podcasts and some new tunes – and tomorrow I’m off. Probably won’t be posting to the blog while I’m gone (leaving the laptop behind), but I’ll be sure to share some photos when I return in a week. Wish me luck.
Aug
17
Trip to the Science Museum
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We took the girls to the Children’s Museum today. They were having a Magic School Bus exhibit, and our girls love the Magic School Bus. We all had a great time; lots of hands-on things for the girls to play with and little creatures to see. They got to build and race cars made of Legos, surround themselves in a giant bubble, learn about the weather and even attempt to do the weather segment of a newscast (although they were both a little too short to actually see themselves in the monitor).
The trip also marked the first time we took Grace into something like this without a stroller – which for us was kind of a big deal. The stroller has become something to carry all their stuff around with and to contain Grace when she’s not behaving. We were more than happy to leave it in the car.
Aug
11
Lake Compounce Trip
Filed Under Daddy Fun, Daddy Posts | 2 Comments
One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen was the look on my daughter’s face when she was riding the carousel at the amusement park the other day. I didn’t get a picture of it, but I’ll remember it forever.
Aug
10
New Dads and Depression
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I don’t link to articles very often, but here’s an interesting one on MSNBC.com about new dads and post-partum depression. Apparently, it’s not just for moms anymore.
I remember going through a real rough time the first winter I was home with my oldest daughter – she was about 3 months old at the time. I wouldn’t pin it on hormones…, instead it was more of an adjustment period for me as I slowly realized that I wasn’t the center of the universe anymore. People tell you it changes your world, but you don’t really know what that means until you go through it.
I went through an even worse time when my second daughter was born. From being mad at God for giving me a special needs child, to completely shutting down from everyone around me – including my wife and children – it was a dark 12 months or so.
It’s a tough thing, especially for a guy who might not want to admit he’s having problems.
Aug
2
No. 2 Goes #2!!!
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Yes, that’s right. My youngest daughter went poop on the potty today for the first time. My wife’s really been trying to potty train her the past few days, but it’s been tough. We bribed my first daughter with candy – a Hershy Kiss for every 5 pees, and an ice cream cone for a poop. But how do you bribe a kid who doesn’t eat?! She likes goldfish crackers, so we told her she had to pee on the potty to get one of those. She would get an ice cream for a poop. We’ve been letting her run around the house with big girl underpants on and encouraging her to use the potty whenever she says she has to go. We’ve gotten a few pees out of her, but she would just sit there and cry when she had to poop and wouldn’t go until we put a diaper back on her.
Well today – and all by herself, I might add – she went over to the potty and dropped a deuce! Thank God, because it’s like 100° here, and a trip to an air-conditioned Friendly’s was just what we needed. We were all very excited! I am SO ready for her to be out of diapers. My wife and I are going to go out and celebrate when that happens.
I wanted to take a picture of it to share with all of you, but my wife wouldn’t let me. Sorry. 